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Savannah man leads police on chase that ends in jail

A Savannah man who drove over construction cones while being stopped by Savannah-Chatham police and then drove into a police car faces eight charges after struggling with officers Monday night.

Michael Brian Russell, 37, of the 11000 block of White Bluff Road was charged with reckless driving, no proof of insurance, failure to yield to a vehicle entering the roadway, failure to maintain lane, having an open container in the vehicle, driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving under the influence and obstruction.

Julian Miller, police spokesman, said several Southside Precinct officers struggled with Russell before he was pulled from his truck after being sprayed with pepper spray.

An officer reported having to avoid a collision when Russell performed a U-turn on Whitebluff near his residence about 9:20 p.m. As the officer followed the truck with emergency equipment activated, he observed the truck run over several construction cones and a sidewalk.

A second officer with emergency equipment activated stopped in front of the truck only to see it stop and then proceed toward the police car. He was unable to move the police car out of the way before the truck struck the passenger side door. Minor damage was reported, Miller said.

After the struggle, police discovered a glass of what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage, an empty liquor bottle and a passport that identified Russell. Records showed his driver’s license had been suspended after a previous DUI charge, Miller said.